If you want to feel the magic of Minnesota, Minneapolis is the place to be. And if you are on your way to visit Minneapolis, make sure you come by our office — we’d be more than happy to meet you! We’re taking you on a journey through this amazing city bringing you the story about the beginnings of our Minneapolis HTEC Office.
Enjoy the ride!
What is Minneapolis like?
One of the most iconic cities in the United States, Minneapolis the dominant partner in the famous Twin Cities that have given the world beloved literature, celebrated artists and a base for exploring some of the finest lakes on the continent. Equal parts cosmopolitan and defiantly traditional, Minneapolis is in many ways the archetypical American city, a gaggle of juxtapositions and contradictions that is home to some of the most innovative and remarkable people on the planet.
What are the city’s highlights?
Minneapolis is home to some seriously fantastic galleries, such as the Walker Art Centre and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, while the Mall of America provides a curious time machine experience for anyone interested in the development of commercial America. In many ways, the great strength of Minneapolis lies in the incredible array of lakes found around it; they don’t call it the City of Lakes without good reason. The city has 22 lakes within its borders alone. The delightfully monikered Lake of the Isles is the city’s quietest but arguably its most beautiful, while Lake Harriet is a popular spot for adventure and relaxation alike. Lake Bde Maka Ska is the largest lake in the city.
What are the people like?
Howard Mohr’s famous How to Talk Minnesotan may have been more about the wider state than its largest city, but plenty of that rural charm finds its way into this famously liberal and multicultural place. The people of Minneapolis will be the first to admit that they might not be as open as other parts of the country, but a friend made here is a friend for life. Minnesotans are friendly, accommodating, engaging and hilarious. The funniest people in America? Quite possibly.
Is Minneapolis expensive?
While sitting on the fence is generally discouraged, Minneapolis finds itself smack-bang in the middle of the American experiment when it comes to big city living costs. The City of Lakes is decidedly less expensive than more celebrated cities to the east and north, but that isn’t to say that you can get by with not much here. Housing expenses are slightly above the national average, as are groceries. Entertainment costs are on par with cities like Chicago and Boston.
What’s the weather like?
Minneapolis has a humid-continental climate without a notable dry season, which means that the weather is unpredictable. The summers can be gorgeous, giving locals and visitors alike plenty of reasons to head to the many lakes found within driving distance of the city. The winter? Well, this is the coldest major urban centre in the US, which tells you all you need to know. You’re best off learning to love the Minnesotan winter because the state shows its true charming colours during that long stretch. Temperatures have an average high of around 26c in July with that dropping to an average low of -13c in February.
What is it like to live there?
Like many similar-sized cities dotted around the United States, Minneapolis is a fascinating, exciting and contradictory city to live in. It straddles the divide between cosmopolitan and provincial, while its creative atmosphere and willingness to innovate has seen countless Fortune100 companies set up shop here. Combine that with a sports-crazed populace and teams in every major league and you’ve got yourself a city that is just about as American as the modern-day USA gets.
Where can I try the best local food?
The unique cultural development of Minneapolis (and Minnesota state) has led to some pretty special dishes becoming synonymous with this part of the country. The Scandinavian and Germanic influences are all too apparent, although the centre of the city has fast become a globalised foodie hangout offering excellent food from all parts of the globe. Sampling a Jucy Lucy (cheese-filled burger, every bit as good as it sounds) is mandatory, while every true local has their special hotdish (a casserole-style creation) recipe. The 5-8 Club is a great option for the former, while The Mason Jar excels at the comfort food icon that is the latter.
What about the nightlife?
The kings of skid row have long since moved on but Minneapolis remains a hugely exciting place for a drink or two. Downtown Minneapolis has a wide range of high-end clubs, rooftop bars and more character-centric pubs, while North Loop, Whittier and Uptown provide their own unique nightlife experiences. Neighbouring Saint Paul is also a great night out, which you’d expect from a town founded by a tavern owner.
HTEC Group in Minneapolis
We caught up with Andrew McGee, Business Development, Midwest USA, to chat with him about HTEC Group Office in Minnesota.
“We chose to come to Minnesota for communal and strategic reasons. We saw a need for multi-faceted technology and digital transformation partners. We also know that strong relationships are of the utmost importance here. Thankfully, we grew up here, and we formed some of our closest relationships here. We now have an opportunity to not only deepen and expand those relationships but to establish HTEC Group as a technology asset to the people and businesses that drive the most impact in these communities.
When I think about HTEC Group in Minnesota, I think of it in 3 ways: Community, Impact, and Opportunity.
Community
In my opinion, there are few communities in the United States that can collectively lift the growth of each other like the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. Aside from the extraordinarily high quality of living, strong education system, and modest cost of living, the Twin Cities has the ability to attain and retain top talent that powers the business community from all sides. It’s really the individuals’ abilities to form relationships and build acumen with more than one company, bringing a bit of expertise from each experience along the way. HTEC Group has been present in Minnesota since Q4 of 2020 and plans to significantly grow our client relationships and connection to this region anchored in our dedication to collaboration, deep engineering, technical, and digital product expertise, we are here to help answer the toughest questions and deliver the innovation that will help build a better tomorrow.
Impact
It’s now spun into a blossoming startup ecosystem — leaders that spent 10-15 years between the big corporations in the Twin Cities are getting the support from others in the community to start their own businesses, and they are increasing in volume and success. Everyone knows someone from another major business here — it’s almost self-sustaining in a way. Ultimately, the experiences of people working across the business community, and new businesses coming in to add more talent, create a sense of collectiveness, camaraderie, and pride that are unmatched.
As global demand continues to shift towards digital-first, and consumer-first, products and experiences, companies must change their approach and attention toward this change. Our goal is to sit at the intersection of this shift towards continuing impact and increased attention to digitalization. We share the same desires to create impact and believe that we will become a significant contributor to this community through creating the opportunity to do so.
Opportunity
We are increasingly seeing more opportunity and global impact created from the Twin Cities, too. You don’t have to look far to see what businesses here did, and are still doing, to answer the call against Covid-19 or systemic racism in this country.
Now, more companies than ever are seeing the opportunity to take part in this ecosystem and provide it with the tools it needs to continue succeeding. That is the opportunity we see with HTEC.
More than most, B2B relationships need established, strong reputations, and a sense of trust resonating in the right circles to find success – making market entry (in the middle of a pandemic) particularly challenging. But we believe our values, the depth of our commitment, and the strength of our products and services position us for great success here.”
Driving Growth
Driven by rapid growth, HTEC Group continues to expand its presence in Europe (and maybe even further). If you want to work on innovative projects with breakthrough technologies and some of the most successful companies worldwide and if you are eager to become a part of our winning team, come and join us! We have offices in many cities across the region and beyond. Find out more about our offices in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Skopje, Banja Luka, Subotica, Stockholm.
We offer a world of possibilities for personal and professional growth!
And, we continue our journey! Stay tuned!
